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Calvary Chapel Distinctives

by: Chuck Smith

Publication date: 2000

Topics: Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel, Bible, Church, Christianity, Doctrine

Collection: opensource

Language: English

PREFACE: What makes Calvary Chapel different from other Bible-believing, evangelical churches? It's always good to have a grasp of the unique work that God has done in this fellowship. If Calvary Chapel is exactly like the church across the street, it would be better to simply merge the two. But if there are distinctives that make it different, then it has a unique and special place in the plan of God. Certainly there are churches that share many of our beliefs and practices. We're not renegades. Yet God has done a wonderful work of balance in the Calvary Chapel movement that does make it different in many areas.
There are many who believe in the gifts and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, but do not have a strong emphasis on biblical teaching, nor look to the Word of God to guide their experiences with the Holy Spirit. There are those who have a strong emphasis on teaching the Word of God, but do not share the view that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are available and valid today. In Calvary Chapel we teach the Word and keep an open heart to the work of the Holy Spirit. It is this balance that makes Calvary Chapel a distinct and uniquely blessed movement of God. And so it's important to understand the biblical principles that make up the picture of why God has allowed Calvary Chapel to exist and grow.
This is not to say that all Calvary Chapels are identical. I'm always amazed at how God can take simple, basic elements and create such variety out of them. Basically, all of us have two eyes, a nose, a mouth, and two ears, and yet how different we all look from each other. People also have different emotional make-ups. Now, God loves everyone. He loves the highly emotional and He loves the dull and unemotional.

In the same way, wanting all men to be able to relate to Him, God created a wide variety of churches. Some churches appeal to those who are very emotional in their nature, while others appeal to a more staid and formal personality. Desiring to reach and bless all kinds of people, God seems to enjoy having diverse churches so that everybody's needs might be met-from the highly emotional to the very formal, and all those in between. Each of us has a part to play in God's plan, but we all need to know where we fit in this wide spectrum. As you read Calvary Chapel Distinctives, you will see what makes this fellowship unique, and you will also come to better understand your position in the body of Christ.

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